


Flowers In Your Hair

by rainbowslovehl (Larrymateforlife)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Louis, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Established Relationship, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up Together, M/M, No Smut, actually he's demi but well, as ace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-16 10:56:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14163333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larrymateforlife/pseuds/rainbowslovehl
Summary: After the previous night Louis had promised himself he’d look into this. And he did, googling if it was normal not to crave sex in his twenties. He took him a few tries and a few negative statements before he was informed of a less talked about sexual orientation called asexuality. He had been reading up on it for a while now, reading about experiences of other asexual people as well. He found himself relating to their words, feeling at peace knowing he wasn’t alone in this. His heart felt a little at ease, humming excitedly.Or Louis, having realised he is asexual, now wonders how to reveal it to his long-term boyfriend, Harry.





	Flowers In Your Hair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rachel1118](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachel1118/gifts).



> This is my first time participating in a fic exchange and I was so nervous but I got three great prompts to choose from and glad I could do too. I hope you like it too, rachel1118.  
> I always love writing childhood friends to lovers au and loved making it extra sappy this time. I got most inspiration from a picture of flower crown on the ground so well, it’s mostly revolving around flower crowns. It’s not much struggling with asexuality but more of realising and coming to terms with it and accepting it and I tried my best.  
> The prompt was _“Louis is having some troubles coming to terms with his asexuality. And once he does figure out- how is supposed to tell Harry is long time boyfriend. Louis tells Harry and Harry is of course fine with it.”_ And like I said, there is not much trouble tbh.  
>  Title is from “Flowers in your hair” by The Lumineers.

Harry’s lips were trailing down Louis’ neck, leaving kisses as they went and making him squirm and giggle. Louis immediately kept his laptop on the desk, knowing one hit was all it would take to make the feeble thing break. Harry nipped on his skin, giggling into his neck.

“It tickles,” Louis said, in between all the giggles he let out. He moved his shoulder to defend himself, it being futile. “Harry!”

“I know,” he replied, as he tilted his head to a side. The movement made one of his curls tickle Louis’ ear and he squirmed further to a side, making the chair wobble. He laughed along, of course, as he did so. Louis did a shooing motion with his hand, not really pushing him off or anything since he didn’t really want Harry to go. But also, he needed to finish his assignment, which laid waiting for him from days and refused to be finished. He needed no distractions for that, Harry being the biggest one. Since he was that adorable, wanting to consume all of Louis’ attention at any given point. Harry joined in his laughter, before he nibbled gently on Louis’ earlobe. “Okay I’ll go. But I do have one condition. That you’ll finish this quickly and then join me in the bed later. Okay?”

“Okay,” Louis said, waiting a beat to not make it too obvious. He pasted a smile on his face, hoping Harry didn’t notice his noticeable gulp. It wasn’t as if Louis had a problem with having sex with Harry. Harry was his boyfriend of many years after all and he loved him. Just… Well.

Louis and Harry had always been best friends, met when they were just kids and living next doors all the way through school. Louis had been the first to know he was gay. He was twelve then, and told about it to no one except for his mother. There was no shock realisation, just one day he woke up and thought about the past and it clicked. Louis was also the first to realise he was in love with Harry, later on the same day.

Their friendship had gradually developed into love, and neither of them held back when Louis confessed. Harry had gently pressed their lips together, telling him he loved him back. That was both their first kisses, after which they started dating. They were fourteen then. And growing up together meant they were practically glued to each other, having all their firsts together. And while Harry enjoyed it all, Louis did too. Just the sexual stuff didn’t elicit the same kind of feeling.

Louis was also the first one to think something was wrong with him. Well, not wrong exactly but something different.

Harry, like any other teenager, craved for sexual pleasure but Louis didn’t feel the same way always. Sure he loved Harry, and he liked having sex with him too, normal things but not in the same amount. He didn’t love in the way people described, not in the sexual way where one stared at their partner’s ass all the time. Which Harry did. He loved Harry in an all consuming, romantic way and only that. He liked his love handles, he liked his legs, how his feet were always curled inwards when he was nervous and he liked the way Harry’s lips formed words. Things like that. But the first person he had voiced it to called him weird, making him feel alienated and Louis had tried not to feel hurt. Of course, afterwards he never shared.

Harry and Louis moved in together when they were eighteen. They both selected colleges in London, brought a small flat in which they now lived. It was small and cosy, sparsely decorated but home. They never clashed, sorting their jobs in the house accordingly. Harry took charge of cooking, making delicious dishes that he always wanted to make while Louis ate, complimenting him plenty. They had been together for five years, without any big fights. Small arguments did happen here and there, but they didn’t last for more than a day. They had a beautiful thing going on there, both of them managing their relationship, education and jobs with ease and meshing together perfectly. It was perfect, so right if it weren’t for Louis’ guilt. In his heart, he felt insecure about their sexual life. Which was Louis’ fault.

He felt like he was not enough, like he didn’t crave sex enough. And that made him weird or so everyone, every conversation around him made him feel. Except for Harry, of course, who never made him feel that. He never complained about Louis being half hearted, or pushing him out sometimes. Never complained about him not being as interested in sex like a ‘normal person’. He always smiled, but Louis’ insecurities made him feel guilty. His heart told him it wasn’t enough, that he wasn’t enough, that he didn’t deserve Harry.

“So what are you doing?” Harry asked, propping his chin on Louis’ shoulder and peeking over at the screen. The screen held garbage, the stream of unfinished thoughts which died before they could take root. They didn’t lead anywhere, which frustrated Louis to no end.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he said, letting out a puff of air which blew his fringe aside. He followed it with a laugh, purely due to the nerves he felt. And his nervousness for him came with erratic fingers, which randomly tapped on any key they found underneath. The laptop screen was soon littered with random H and L and all the letters around it in a haphazard fashion. Harry gently held his wrists, lifting them up the keys. He then wrapped both of Louis’ hands in his big ones, calming them. Louis leaned back into him, drawing the peace from Harry’s touch. “This is just awful, honey. What do I do?”

“I’ll help you,” he said, kissing Louis’ pout and making it melt away into a smile. Louis’ grin widened when Harry moved around to sit down on Louis’ lap, not before moving the laptop away. Their wonky chair creaked and wobbled due to the pressure. It was a wonder it was standing upright, actually. Louis simply shifted to accommodate his boyfriend, when Harry wiggled his bum. Louis wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him while Harry wrapped himself around his body. Harry pointed at one of the sentences on the screen after clearing the mess of alphabets from before. “So now you see, Lou, this is a good start. And we could elaborate it by...”

He launched into his thoughts, arms moving accordingly and almost taking them to the ground. Louis laughed, nodding along as he tried to take everything in. But the glow on his boyfriend’s face was distracting, as was his smile. He was the most exquisite thing Louis had had seen, even when they were kids. Harry’s eyes might be the one which fascinated him the most. They were big and bright, as they took in everything with wonder written clear. They changed shades, going from light grass green in the morning, when he had just woken up to bottle green in the evening, when he returned home tired. They changed with his mood, but they always shone. They held love for everything they saw, Louis the most and it never failed to make him flustered. His cheeks were often flushed light pink, never having completely lost his baby fat and dimpling when he was happy. His lips were pink, moulding around the words slowly when he spoke and it was enticing to watch him.

It was as if Harry was made with utmost care, his features both delicate and sharp. Louis felt lucky being a recipient of his love and whenever he voiced it, Harry said it right back. He showered him with compliments and kisses until Louis was a blushing mess. Louis really loved him.

Harry helped him with his work and Louis fucked him that night, slowly as they giggled throughout. He didn’t really need to have sex, or wanted it as much as Harry but he knew he loved it anyway because of how beautiful Harry made it. He decided that night, when he wrapped himself around Harry that he’d figure himself out. He’d figure out what was wrong with him and fix it.

~~

_“Are you new here?” called out a voice, making Louis confused as to who was talking. He saw a boy, the same age as him, poking his head over the fence. He was smiling, dimples peeking on both his cheeks as he waved with one hand while the other held on to the fence. His eyes were green, alluring and drawing Louis towards him._

_Louis nodded, taking small steps towards him. “We’re moving in today.” He pointed behind him, where his mother was carrying a box in. “She’s my mum. My mum and I will be living here.”_

_“That’s good,” he said, grinning widely. His eyes as if shined, and Louis felt his smile grow. “My name is –”_

_“Harry I can’t be your mule any longer step down,” screamed a female voice and the boy groaned, shooting Louis an apologetic look before he looked down._

_“Gemma just wait a second let me talk!”_

_“My back is hurting and I –”_

_“Ten seconds okay?” he negotiated before he looked back at Louis. His frown vanished, replaced with the same wide grin from before. “As I was saying. I’m Harry and it’s nice to meet you.”_

_“I’m Louis,” he replied, giving him a small wave._

_“Louis!” called his mother from behind him. She was standing with her hands on her hips, smiling as she nodded towards Harry. “Why don’t you go over there, if you want.”_

_“Okay,” Louis chirped, before looking back at Harry. He wasn’t there anymore, which made Louis frown. “Harry?”_

_“Come over here, Louis,” said a voice from the other side and Louis’ smile returned. He ran over to his neighbour’s house, finding the green-eyed boy waiting along with an older girl, who must be Gemma._

_It was the start of a beautiful friendship._

~~

“I’m going out to buy us some groceries,” Harry yelled. It startled Louis into almost dropping his laptop. He clutched on it for dear life as he turned to find his boyfriend at the door. His hand was resting on the wall as he pulled on his shoes. He was looking at Louis questioningly as he straightened up and adjusted his jacket on his shoulder. Louis smiled, shutting his laptop blindly and shifted to look at him better. “Do you need anything? Except coco pops, I know I have to get them. Anything except that?”

“No dear,” he said, widening his smile. It made Harry’s forehead crease with suspicion but he didn’t press it, nodding once before he opened the door and was out. Louis let out a sigh of relief, a breath he didn’t know was holding in before he opened his laptop again. His eyes ran over the webpage he had opened.

Asexuality.

After the previous night Louis had promised himself he’d look into this. And he did, googling if it was normal not to crave sex in his twenties. He took him a few tries and a few negative statements before he was informed of a less talked about sexual orientation called asexuality. He had been reading up on it for a while now, reading about experiences of other asexual people as well. He found himself relating to their words, feeling at peace knowing he wasn’t alone in this. His heart felt a little at ease, humming excitedly. It wasn’t as if he ever hated himself for not craving sex as much as another man his age, but it felt like people judged him. He kept reading through connected blogs, for a while until he heard keys jingle outside the door. He bookmarked his current page and closed it before hurriedly opening Google doc. He moulded his face into a thoughtful expression to remove all traces of his fear of being caught, tapping his chin. And that's how Harry found him when he entered, arms full of grocery.

Harry placed the bags in the kitchen, humming under his breath as he sorted them out. Louis hummed along occasionally, as he actually focused on rewriting and editing all he had written before. His mind wasn’t completely in it though, running wild with thoughts. He desperately wanted to read more, to learn about people who felt like him. Asexual people, he thought. He was asexual too.

It was a new term for his identification, something he would get used to soon.

“Still working babe?” Harry asked before he slumped onto the space beside him. Louis had been leaning on one arm of the couch, so Harry took the rest of the space to sprawl in. Louis nodded in response, flicking his fringe to a side delicately with his fingers, ignoring the faces Harry was making. After a few minutes of being ignored, Harry turned impatient as he poked him with his toe. The toe slowly moved from jabbing his sides to poking Louis’ cheek, making the latter huff and then smile. “Pay attention to me.”

“Harry I’m –”

Harry moaned and pouted, as Louis could see in his peripheral vision. So he huffed again, before smiling at his boyfriend’s adorable antics. He gently placed his laptop aside and turned towards his needy boyfriend, who was pouting even if wanted to grin. Louis raised his eyebrows expectantly, earning a grin in return so he took it as a cue to climb atop Harry’s body. He settled on top of him, fitting perfectly alongside. Harry shifted to cushion him as well, hands coming to rest on Louis’ hips and squeezing. “This is better.”

“Is it?” Louis asked, biting his lip hesitantly. He pressed his lips to Harry’s, grinning at the way he arched into it and moaned. His hands ran up and down Louis’ back as they kissed. He liked kissing, Louis realised. He liked the sweetness of Harry’s lips, with a hint of the taste of cherries from the lip balm he applied. It was familiar and nice, he decided. Louis would have to find out what he didn’t like before explaining it all to Harry.

Louis was dreading that conversation.

~~

_“Louis do you know how to make a flower crown?” Harry asked, holding a small yellow flower over his nose. Louis looked up from where he had been chasing the motions of a butterfly in flight with his eyes and towards his best friend. Butterflies fluttered their wings in his tummy at the sight of him. Harry looked cute, innocent and the most delicate and beautiful flower in the midst of them all. He had a small pout on his face, eyes wide and curiously awaiting. Louis smiled as he bounded over to him, showering on top of him all the flowers he had picked. He giggled while Louis sat down beside him, feeling happy. “I feel like making a flower crown.”_

_“Hmm well I’ve seen Lottie make one before so we can try?” he suggested, eyebrows raised. Harry was smiling, as he gave him a one-shouldered shrug. He was beautiful, Louis thought and not for the first time. The sunlight was caressing his face and giving it a pearly glow. His eyes were bright, greener than the grass around them. Louis wanted nothing more than to just stare at him all day, maybe make him laugh and deepen his dimples. Maybe he wanted to kiss him too, play with his hair under the sun like this. It wasn’t the first time he had felt like this and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last either._

_Louis gently picked out the yellow flower from Harry’s fingers. He twirled the long stem in his hand before gently caressing Harry’s face with its petals. Harry giggled again and Louis smiled, leaning back with his fourteen year old heart beating loudly. He needed to tell his best friend he loved him, very much._

_“It tickles, Lou,” Harry said, eyes shining fondly as he looked back. He raised his other hand, which clutched pink and white flowers, like what Louis had found. “Let’s make a flower crown, shall we?”_

_And so they did, twisting the stems together like he had seen Lottie do. They didn’t have a long wire, so made due using a long twig Harry had found, twirling the small flowers around it. They succeeded in making a flower crown, which was imperfect and almost falling apart but Harry was proud of it. And Louis found himself happy too, holding the flower crown between them. Harry was biting his lip, eyes darting from it to Louis’ hair. And Louis knew what he was planning in his pretty little mind. He wouldn’t be opposed to it but he had a plan of his own, so he sprung into action and carefully placed the flower crown on top of Harry’s hair. His hair had started to curl at the tips, so they held up the flowers pretty well. There was a pink tinge to Harry’s cheeks, and most likely on Louis’ too._

_At that moment, Louis thought that if he was to confess his feelings right now, he would get his sentiments repeated back to him._

~~

As days passed, Louis looked more into asexuality. He read up on everything available, from the history to the categories in the spectrum. He grew anxious around Harry, as he debated how to break the news to him. He wondered how he’d take, or if he’d still want Louis. Thankfully, Harry was distracted by his own exams and did not notice Louis’ internal panic, which as always might show on his face. His brows furrowed when Louis spaced out though, but he didn’t comment on it.

Louis also grew sure of what he was feeling, growing more and more confident of his sexual orientation. He needed to classify it more, just to be able to term it right when he informed other people. Right now he was hovering over homoromantic demisexual, which fit him right. He still couldn’t be sure if people would accept him, so he decided to ask one of his other friends. In a very indirect way.

“So tell me Niall,” he started, falling in step with his friend. It was one of their usual walks to their next class, which happened to be on different floors of the same building. He knocked their shoulders together, making the other man look up from his phone with a frown. “So hypothetically, what if someone isn’t interested in sex?”

“If that's your roundabout way of talking about yourself don’t hold back,” he intoned, rolling his eyes. He raised his eyebrows pointedly before looking back into his phone, lips pressing into a thin line. Louis knew that he had his friend’s attention. He chose his words carefully as he tucked the longer strand of his fringe behind his ears. “And continue with that.”

“I don’t mean about me particularly,” Louis lied, laughing nervously. He looked away, doubt forming in his mind. He wasn’t sure he should be outing himself to anyone before he had a talk with Harry. It wouldn’t be right, but at the same time he needed to sort his thoughts out. And who better than Niall, who could carry secrets easily. “Just I came across this term called asexuality right? While I was browsing, and found it interesting. It’s different you know? And people don’t take it as a valid term sometimes. What do you think on that?”

Niall hummed, tapping on his phone in quick succession. Louis frowned, feeling curious as he peeked over his shoulder to find his friend was just playing Candy Crush. That weirdo. “What I think, huh? Does it actually matter?”

“Humour me still.”

“Okay so I always thought that if one person can be attracted to the same gender, opposite gender and both, then there must be an option for none right? It’s only fair. Sex isn’t an integral part, and relationships shouldn’t be solely built on it either. There should be love, which is more important. And if you love your partner and there’s an understanding then who the fuck cares right?”  He laughed lowly, Louis hesitantly joining in. Niall swiped up again, winning the level and grinning widely. He looked up then, his blue eyes twinkling knowingly. “What I’m saying is, that you’re valid, Louis. Doesn’t matter if you want sex or not.”

“Thanks,” he murmured, clearing his vision and clearing his throat. He looked ahead again, unable to look into his friend’s eyes. “And it isn’t about me. Clearly.”

“If you say so, honey.” They continued to walk in silence, Niall walking with his eyes on his phone. They reached their building soon, having to part. “And I’m actually gray ace, just so you know.”

Niall winked knowingly, as he raced up the stairs. The past year suddenly made sense after that, as Louis kept staring after his friend until he disappeared. Oh, he thought, as he walked into his own class.

~~

_They were back in the garden, as usual. Only this time, Louis had a purpose and a plan._

_It had been a few weeks since that day in the garden where Louis wanted to confess. And he hadn’t confessed yet, which wasn’t a problem generally except that he had heard rumours. He had heard his friends whispering that Sarah, one of the pretty girls in their year, was thinking of asking Harry out. It had made jealousy shoot up in him, as he thought about it and it just wouldn’t do. So before she could try, Louis asked Harry to their garden again, using an excuse – making better flower crowns._

_Harry, the oblivious boy he was, had blinked his doe green eyes and smiled prettily as he nodded. At that time they had reached Louis’ door, since Harry always walked with him to the last steps of the door. So Louis had taken the opportunity, leaning in close and pressing a kiss to the other boy’s cheek and waving as he ran inside. Jay was waiting for him, a knowing smile on her face as she questioned his red cheeks. And he had spilled out the plan, gaining a ‘good luck’._

_So there they were on the next day, Harry being all smiles as he ran around in the garden. His hair flew in the wind behind him. Louis laughed, butterflies swimming in his stomach as his heart took flight. They giggled and chatted about nothing as they collected their flowers, Louis making sure to pick out the white flowers in bloom. He had brought along with him a wire, which Lottie told him would be needed to hold it together. He had asked her about it, learning how to make a flower crown from his younger sister. She was a good teacher, and too oblivious to question his sudden interest._

_“Will these do?” Harry asked, holding up only pink flowers in his arms. His eyes were shining as he bit down on his lips anxiously. His hair, which grew curlier with time, was flying with the wind still. He was wearing a white knit sweater, which was a little big for his frame but it made him look softer than usual. Louis grinned at him widely, nodding as he felt unable to hold back the happiness he felt. His friend made him really happy, always._

_“They’re perfect, Curly,” he replied, loving the way Harry’s cheeks took on a pink shade at the nickname. He liked pet names, especially the ones Louis gave. He always flushed when Louis called him something other than ‘Harry’, giving away just how much he liked it. He looked down at his flowers shyly before looking back into his eyes. Louis, meanwhile, dropped the flowers he held in front of him before patting the space beside him. “Sit down beside me, love.”_

_“Okay Lou,” he said, before dutifully sitting down and placing the flowers gently beside Louis’. Their knees brushed as they sat, making Louis’ heart flutter. They were always close, but lately whenever Harry was near, he would feel giddy with happiness. He passed Harry a flower wire, and showed him how to twist it in a circle. Harry was biting down on his lip hard as he followed Louis’ instruction before holding it up. “Like this?”_

_“Perfect,” Louis complimented him and Harry blushed as he smiled. He is so pretty, Louis thought at that moment. He was feeling nervous again, something he didn’t let show since Harry would surely pick up on it. So he picked up the flowers, this time having plenty of them, as he alternatively twisted the pink and white flowers together. Harry observed him before learning it quickly, managing to make a better flower crown than Louis at the end of it. They laid them down on the grass side by side, smiling at their creations. “They look beautiful.”_

_“Yeah,” Harry whispered and sighed. But when Louis looked up, he found his friend looking at him instead. His eyes were a light shade of green today, lighter than the grass around them. They were full of wonder as they looked back into Louis’ and he felt the anxiety in him washing away. Louis couldn’t remember why he had been so unsure about this. It was the perfect moment he was looking for._

_“I love you Harry,” he whispered, quiet enough to be a secret in their secluded garden. He saw the other’s eyebrows rise slightly, lips parting in surprise. There was stillness in the air, as the world around them held its breath awaiting a response. The silence stretched, and Louis was beginning to lose hope, cursing himself. But before he could complete the thought, Harry surged forward and cradled his head. Louis could never forget the happiness he felt when their lips met. Harry’s lips were soft and blush as they clumsily moved against Louis’. They were also sweet, with just a hint of the cherry lip balm he had started to apply. And Louis couldn’t get enough of it, couldn’t stop feeling happy with the touch. It was all he had wanted and more. When they leaned back, they had matching, wide grins and blushes. Louis didn’t want to say anything, lest it broke the moment they had._

_Harry didn’t speak either, just reached for the grass. He picked up the flower crown he had made and gently rested it atop Louis’ hair. It was a little crooked, so Louis fixed the position before placing the other flower crown on Harry’s hair. He looked beautiful, the white and pink flowers matching the colour of his skin at the moment. Something was him was soft, beautiful, and Louis could spend a lifetime looking at him and not tire._

_“I love you too. So are we boyfriends now, Louis?” Harry asked shakily, eyes wide with apprehension. His lips looked swollen, pink than usual and enticing. Louis nodded enthusiastically before kissing him again. He knew he would be in this forever. Knew that even if they were young right now, they belonged together._

~~

It took Louis a few more days to gather the courage to have the talk with Harry. He had been delaying it, feeling guilty as his stomach knotted with anxiety. He imagined how the conversation in his head, imagining both positive and negative results. He was scared of the negative one, hence he avoided Harry more than usual and pretended to be already asleep when Harry climbed into bed. And Louis would continued the avoidance if it hadn’t been for Harry confronting him one day, a two weeks later.

“Louis,” he asked, grabbing Louis’ wrist and pulled him out of his thoughts. His eyes were filled with concern and curiosity, the corners of his lips turned down in a frown. His pulse quickened under Harry’s gently hold on his wrist. He widened his eyes as he looked back at his boyfriend, heart beating loudly in his chest. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I am,” he stammered, being too quick in his reply and hated the way it made Harry’s lips press together. He looked concerned, afraid of something while Louis felt guilty about it. He considered distracting him with a kiss, but ultimately didn’t. They had an open relationship, always talking about every thought and feeling. So sooner or later, it would slip out so why not now, he thought. Louis gulped, watching Harry’s gaze to track the motion as his eyebrows furrowed close. “Okay maybe not.”

Harry immediately placed both his palms on Louis’ cheeks, looking deeply into his eyes. His eyes always made Louis safe, at home and he trusted Harry. So he took in a deep breath, closing his eyes since he knew he couldn’t do this while looking at him. “There’s this thing about me Harry, which I always knew but I found the term to it recently. It might be more difficult than the last time I had to come out but... I’m also asexual, Harry.”

He opened his eyes slowly, watching his boyfriend’s face to check his reaction. Harry looked taken aback, eyebrows pinched together and eyes a little dull. He was surprised, that was clear and stunned. Louis felt his heart sink down to his toes, all his anxious thoughts returning and he felt his throat close up. He blinked his eyes furiously when the silence pertained too long, trying to hold back tears as he started babbling. “I’m so sorry, Harry. I’ve never been sexually attracted to anyone before, and I love you and you’re very attractive but I... I don’t feel like having sex so often, but I love having sex with you. And I feel guilty, so guilty when I have to turn you down. I’m sorry I just –”

He had to stop as he was crying by the end of it, choking on his tears as he shuffled back. Harry’s hands shifted by the moment, and the sound of Louis’ loud sobs were what made him blink out of his trance. His eyes widened with guilt as his face pinched and he shifted closer to Louis, to hold him. “No baby, please no. Please don’t care, Lou. Louis, I’m sorry for being so slow, I was just processing it all and. Baby.”

Harry had managed to wound his arms around Louis, pulled his to his chest and let him cry. His shirt was wet with tears and snot but he kept Louis close. He held him as he sobbed, murmuring ‘don’t cry’ and rubbed his back soothingly. Louis tried to hold back his tears, but he couldn’t for some reason.

~~

_“You’ve been dating for two years and you haven’t had sex?” Ben mocked, laughing. The passing students shot them a curious look, but didn’t stop thankfully. Louis tried to keep a impassive face, tried not to show or let it hurt as much but he couldn’t. It bothered him, made him feel guilty when he shouldn’t feel. He instead glared at the boy, who was one year older and quite frankly, a douchebag. Louis knew he shouldn’t have let that part slip out, and now he felt stupid and angry with himself. “If Harry was my boyfriend, and believe me when I say I want that, I would’ve fucked him against every surface. Have you see his lips, god. I never thought he’d grow up to be such a fit person, and you don’t fuck him? That’s a shame.”_

_“Don’t objectify him like that,” Louis growled, fisting his hands by his side as he grew uncomfortable more the other boy spoke. He took a step back, gulping down all the curses he wanted to spew but didn’t. He was the better person he told himself. But his need to punch Ben grew as he saw the glint in his eyes. He hated him. “He’s so much more than just... that. He’s an amazing person, he’s got the biggest heart and believe me, that's why I love him for more. I am all right with just hearing him talk. So keep your nasty hands away from my boy or else.”_

_“Else what?” he leered, laughing. Every hair on Louis’ body stood up in anger. He had to get away, yet his feet were glued to where he stood. He looked at him defiantly, daring him to talk more but he didn’t have to say anything. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around Louis’ waist, pulling him closer. He leaned into the touch, moulding himself against Harry’s front._

_“You’re an asshole, Ben,” Harry yelled, loud enough to startle the students who passed them by. Harry never screamed was the thing, being very polite even in times of irritation. Hence everyone halted, staring at him in surprise. He didn't know how Harry looked right, but he imagined him being a little scary due to others’ reaction. Ben’s face twisted as if he had eaten something bitter, opening and closing his mouth but not saying anything. “Next time, don’t bother talking to me or Louis here or you’ll get punched. Stay away from my boy, or else.”_

_Harry didn’t wait for Ben to say anything, steering Louis away from him and pulling him towards another corridor. Louis fell quiet with the admiration and love he felt for his boy and a newfound determination. Maybe it was time they had sex, since weren’t the waiting for the right moment. Besides everyone else was having sex, right._

_“What were the two of you talking about?” Harry whispered after a few minutes. Louis blinked up curiously at him, noticing his genuine expression. Had he really not know what they were talking about? “I just heard him say ‘else what’ and rushed towards you as quickly as I could. I had no clue of what he had been telling you. So what was he saying?”_

_Louis laughed, startling both Harry and himself in the process. Maybe it was the nerves and relief combined which made him react like this. He couldn’t believe it. Harry had defended him blindly, while ending up repeating the same thing Louis had told him coincidentally. That was genuinely amazing. “You don’t need to know. I’ll tell you some other day since it was terrible. But thank you.”_

_“Always, Lou,” he said, voice soft. He never did ask Louis what they were talking about again. He trusted Louis enough._

_But the topic didn’t leave Louis’ mind, hence he brought it up later, hating the way Harry’s face twisted as he relayed the incident. Louis assured him he didn’t think the same, while asking the more pressing question. “Do you think he’s right though? That we should be fucking instead of waiting?”_

_“I don’t,” Harry said firmly, still frowning. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “We made a decision to wait for the right moment than just rushing right? We don’t need to do something just because others are. We can be traditionally, and more importantly I want us to be comfortable.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Unless you want to rush into it?” he asked, eyes hesitant as he leaned in. He grabbed Louis’ hand, rubbing his thumb over his pulse soothingly. “I’ll do it if you want to. I don’t mind.”_

_“I’m good, Harry.” Louis smiled at him. He kissed him softly, grinning against his lips. “I love you.”_

_But Louis knew he was ready, when Harry was._

~~

Louis had fallen asleep crying, but he didn’t know when. The worry from the past few days and tears had burnt him out, breaking him down. He didn’t know what had prompted the tears, but he felt awful still. He woke up in their bed, sheets pulled up on them with Harry’s arms wrapped around him from behind. Usually Harry liked being held, being the little spoon but their positions had changed with him was the big spoon today. Harry usually liked the safety Louis would provide by holding him in, liked being protected and Louis could understand why. But it also made him hot, which was why he opted for being the big spoon but it still felt nice.

“Harry?” he murmured, throat dry from crying. His boyfriend, if still, beside him shifted.

“Louis?” Harry whispered, voice still heavy with sleep. “It’s fine.”

“What?” he asked, feeling confused as he turned around in Harry’s arms, meeting his glazed green eyes. They looked bright, unlike last night and determined.

“We’ll be enough, Lou,” he said, grinning sleepily. Louis could vaguely remember asking if that would be enough, if he would be enough. And this was answer, which made him flustered and emotional. “It’s fine if you’re asexual babe, we’ll make this work. We’ll talk about it, talk about your boundaries and make it work okay?”

“I love you,” Louis said instead of a proper answer, biting on his lip. He watched as Harry rubbed his eyes, face puffy with sleep and pillow creased. Louis liked when Harry was like this, when he whispered softly instead of talking since his throat hurt. He liked how Harry would blink twice as much, his eyelids trying to let go of the last dregs of sleep. He liked it when his eyes were glazed with sleep, kind of light green in colour. He cupped Harry’s cheek with one hand, liking how he hummed and leaned into the touch. Harry’s arm was loosely wrapped around Louis’ waist, fingers running up and down his skin where his shirt had rucked up. They had slept fully clothed, which explained why it was so hot in the room.

Harry frowned, stopping the movement of his fingers as he whispered, “Is this okay?”

Louis chuckled, kissing the area between Harry’s eyebrows where an adorable furrow had formed. He knew they’d be all right as he leaned back, loving his boyfriend more than he ever did. “Harry, listen. Everything we did before was fine, else I would’ve told you. I just thought I needed to tell you about this, is all.”

“Thank you,” Harry said, voice louder than a whisper now. He didn’t add anything to it, neither did Louis ask. But he understood him and his intention from his eyes. Just those two words and the love and determination in his eyes told him everything. Louis had never felt more lucky than right now, with the love of his life.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Always.” He stared intensely in his a little while longer, before his eyes flitted to Louis’ lips. “Can I kiss you? Is it all right? Because if you feel uncomfortable then I can –”

The rest of his words were muffled when Louis captured his lips in a kiss, drawing a squeak from him. It quickly turned into laughter, with bright eyes looking into one another. “Always.”

~~

_“That was just as good as they say it is,” Harry said, panting in the semi lit room. Louis could see the sweat sheen on his forehead, the giddy look in his eyes and cheeks flushed red. Louis looked away, thankful for the dark that Harry wouldn’t be able to see the furrow of his eyebrows. It wasn’t that... well._

_A few months after the day they re-discussed it, Louis decided the perfect day would be on Harry’s birthday. He promised him a surprise and booked a fancy hotel room with the money he had saved. He decorated it with rose petals and flameless candles, just the way Harry liked and the latter had been surprised when he saw. They were seventeen now, and the perfect age, according to Louis’ traditional heart. They had exchanged handjobs and blowjobs before, everything except for actually sex. Louis had been nervous, knowing this would be it and so had been Harry. But he was sure about this._

_“Was I good for you, Lou?” Harry asked, turning onto his side to watch him. Louis looked back at him, noticing how Harry’s eyes looked a little dim, despite the bad lighting. He was anxious, biting down on his lip and Louis couldn’t handle that. He cupped Harry’s cheek, shifting closer until their lips touched. Their bare, sweaty bodies covered by sheets moved against each other and Louis was overcompensating, he knew. And Harry knew it too, if his frown was anything to go by as he leaned back. Louis smiled, trying to convey best with his eyes how he felt. He felt good because of Harry, always. The problem was Louis, completely._

_“Always, baby,” Louis replied, punctuating it with another kiss. He let his other hand snake down Harry’s chest, replicating it the way he had seen last week in porn videos. To better themselves for their first time, Harry had suggested they watched porn together. Harry’s eyes had turned dark as he felt turned on by it, chubbing up in his pants. While Louis had felt squeamish inside, yet he didn’t let it show. Rather he diverted Harry’s attention by taking him in his mouth, and trying to ignore the moans coming from the laptop. Remembering it, he still cringed on the inside and tried to ignore it. Instead he focused on Harry, which did turn him on a little. He was normal, right?_

_“Are you sure?” Harry asked, but Louis replied in form of a kiss. He used his tongue this time, making Harry moan and forget about his concern. This was the first time, Louis told himself and first times weren’t always good. They were messy. At least that was he told himself._

_It got better after, of course. Louis started to like it, but he didn’t crave it as much as Harry did._

~~

“Where are we going, Harry?” Louis asked, pressing his nose on the window to look outside. It was greenery all over, no hint as to where they were headed so he looked back at Harry questioningly. There was a secretive smile playing on his lips, eyes twinkling mischievously as he drove on. It had been a couple of week since, days filled with assignments and finals and everything in between. They had barely gotten any time to themselves, lest spend it with each other. Harry had soon stopped being hesitant with his actions and they fell back into their touchy feely patterns. Louis told him how he felt about sexual acts and Harry tried his best to understand, even noting it down in his journal which made Louis fond at him. His reaction had been better than Louis had expected, and it never stopped making him feel warm inside. How had he gotten so lucky, he wondered every day.

“You’ll know soon, Louis, you’ll know.” He smirked at the road ahead, tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth. He was a little shit, Louis thought as he smiled softly at his profile before looking out the window.

They drove for a while, and it turned out that Harry was driving them back to their hometown. He drove them past the familiar streets to the garden they had had their most important moments in. He stopped the car near the gate and held out flower wires and Louis laughed, without a care in the world with Harry joining in. Louis knew what Harry was trying to do and he liked the idea, following Harry through the gates. Old memories flashed through his mind as they picked out flowers quietly. Harry specifically selected varying shades of colour while Louis picked out his classic white and pink ones. They teased each other, reminiscing old memories as they twisted the flowers around the wire, fingers soon remembering the motions. They still were a little out of practice but they made do, with Harry hurting his finger somehow. And as always, Harry’s flower crown looked prettier than Louis’ did, with a lot of colour and love put into it.

They grinned at each other and they show off their flower crowns, feeling like they were fourteen again.

“You’ll always be my princess, Lou,” Harry said, as he gently placed his flower crown on top of Louis’ head. He giggled when Louis puffed up his face in mock offense, trying to stifle it with the back of his palm and failed. Louis couldn’t keep his upset act for long, giving in and laughing along with his boyfriend. He placed his flower crown on top of Harry’s curls, arranging his hair around it. His hair was grown longer, curling around his ears. They cushioned the crown perfectly, making his face looked softer than usual. He looked pretty, with flushed pink cheeks and bright, bright eyes.

“You’ll be my princess too,” Louis replied, grinning widely. He bopped his nose. “And I’ll be your prince.”

Harry laughed, shaking his head fondly. The flower crown stayed put, not falling off even when he pushed Louis back onto the grass and captured his lips in a kiss. Louis’ flower crown fell off his head though, but neither of them cared. They were happy, and would be forever.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked it, especially the one I'm writing for. I have another fic for this exchange, which is way longer haha.  
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated.  
> Rebloggable post is [here](http://rainbowsandlovehl.tumblr.com/post/173861395788/flowers-in-your-hair-by-rainbowslovehl)


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